Search age:

Search in:

No gun worries on the school run: Gillard

Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she wants Australian parents to be able to take their kids to school without worrying about gun crime.

US President Barack Obama has demanded an assault weapons ban and universal background checks for gun buyers, pitting himself against the nation's powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association.

It comes after the killing of 20 children at Connecticut's Sandy Hook Elementary School in December and frequent mass shootings.

Reflecting on Australia's road to gun control after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, Ms Gillard said more can be done and singled out western Sydney, where there has been a spate of bikie gang-related shootings in recent years.

Advertisement

The prime minister said she was serious about addressing the issue of illegal guns and gang violence.

"I think people should be able to live in Sydney's west or anywhere around the country and not worry as they go about their daily business," Ms Gillard told Network Ten on Thursday night.

"Going to work, having a job, earning a pay packet, getting the kids to school ... you (should not) have to worry while you're doing that, about gun crime and personal safety."

Ms Gillard said the government was properly resourcing customs to detect illegal imports.

"We've more than doubled the number of illegal packages that are being seized at our borders ... through an intelligence-led policing model," she told ABC radio on Thursday.